In 1995, the Yankees were in the midst of a heated playoff push. They were battling for the first ever Wild Card spot, and they had a terrific September which allowed them to clinch a playoff berth on the season’s final day.
Sitting in the dugout during that stretch run was 21-year-old Derek Jeter and 23-year-old Jorge Posada. They were September call-ups, and manager Buck Showalter felt it was imperative to have them on the team not necessarily to play, but to watch. Showalter wanted them to look at how the veterans came to work to prepare every day. He wanted them to share a clubhouse with Don Mattingly, Paul O’Neill, Wade Boggs etc – guys who had earned their keep in the game, and who knew what it meant to be major leaguers.
Jeter played in just 15 games that year, and Posada appeared in one. 23-year-old Andy Pettitte and 25-year-old Mariano Rivera had larger roles on the team, but they were still rookies. If you listen to the four of them talk about 1995 today, they say the experience was key in helping them grow and mature as players. It was essential for them to see a pressurized, playoff atmosphere at such a young age.
Flash forward to 2016, and a similar thing is happening. However, today’s Baby Bomber’s aren’t sitting on the bench and not playing. They’re right in the thick of things, and the experience will no doubt be invaluable to them as their careers move on.
You’ve heard the term “Baptism by fire” from Joe Girardi over the past few weeks. He’s thrown these rookies right into the mix, in big spots, with no hesitation. For guys like Ben Heller and Jonathan Holder, to come into a close game with runners on in the heat of a pennant race – that right there is more valuable than an entire season in the minors, in my opinion. Even if they fail, it’s good for them – especially Luis Severino, who’s come out of the bullpen and has been lights out since struggling as a starter.
We’ve seen Tyler Austin hit some big home runs, including an opposite field walk-off bomb last week. Derek Jeter said something once that stuck with me. He said once you come through in a clutch moment, you have the confidence going forward that you can always do it again. Andy Pettitte also said something similar. Ever since his stellar start in game five of the 1996 World Series, he said he could always go back to that start as a reference point if he was starting a big game. He could always draw on it for guidance on how to handle pressure.
For Aaron Judge, a guy with high expectations who’s struggling, these stretch of games will teach him how to deal with it. We’ve seen flashes from him – most recently that mammoth home run he hit into the left field bleachers against the Dodgers. But Girardi continues to run him out there. This is the only way he’ll learn, and he’ll be a better player because of it.
Gary Sanchez. Where do we begin with Gary Sanchez? The guy hit the ground running from day one and, while he’s slowed up a bit, he’s still maintained a level head and has gotten hot recently. Catcher is probably the most difficult position to learn as a rookie. Girardi is starting him every single day against teams he’s never faced, against hitters he’s never called a game against. It’s been impressive what he’s been able to do in such a short amount of time.
2016 looks like a dress rehearsal for these Baby Bombers. They’re in the playoff hunt, but they’re scratching and clawing and fighting to stay alive. You can bet that when the Yankees are a powerhouse again, the young Yankees will look back at these last few months and think of them as being very important.
